In which event did Milkha Singh finish fourth at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games?
- A.200 metres
- B.400 metres
- C.800 metres
- D.110 metres hurdles
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, 400 metres. Milkha Singh reached the 400 metres final at Rome in 1960 and finished fourth in a race so close that the first four all broke the existing Olympic mark. His time stood as the Indian national record for close to four decades, and the near miss is the single most quoted moment in Indian athletics before 2021.
Option A, 200 metres, was an event he ran and won at the 1958 Asian Games, but not the Rome final in question. Option C, 800 metres, is the event in which Sriram Singh reached an Olympic final, at Montreal in 1976. Option D, 110 metres hurdles, is where Gurbachan Singh Randhawa finished fifth at Tokyo in 1964, another famous fourth-or-fifth place that papers deliberately mix with this one. Tie the three together: Milkha 1960, Randhawa 1964, Sriram 1976.
Read the full article: Athletics and Indian Athletes: Events and Facts
Practice Questions
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- A.Javelin throw
- B.Badminton
- C.Tennis
- D.Weight lifting
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Neeraj Chopra won the men's javelin throw at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which were held in 2021, and that medal was India's first Olympic gold in athletics and its first individual gold since shooting in 2008.
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- A.40 km
- B.42.195 km
- C.45 km
- D.50 km
Show answer
A marathon is run over 42.195 kilometres, which is exactly 26 miles and 385 yards. The odd figure was fixed at the London Olympics of 1908, when the course was extended to finish in front of the royal box, and it became the official distance a few years later.
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- A.Gurbachan Singh Randhawa
- B.Milkha Singh
- C.Sriram Singh
- D.Joginder Singh
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He earned the name in Pakistan after beating the home favourite at a meet in Lahore, and it stayed with him.
Read the full explanation →The Indian athlete P. T. Usha is popularly called
- A.Dhing Express
- B.Payyoli Express
- C.Golden Girl of Kerala
- D.Udan Pari
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P. T. Usha comes from Payyoli in the Kozhikode district of Kerala, and her speed on the track earned her the name of her village.
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- A.Seven
- B.Eight
- C.Ten
- D.Twelve
Show answer
The word decathlon is built from the Greek deca, meaning ten, and athlon, meaning contest. It is a men's combined event held over two days, and its ten disciplines take in sprints, hurdles, the middle-distance 1500 metres, jumps and throws.
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